Daring Greatly: Chapters 5 & 6

Thanks to Brené Brown (and my therapist), I now know,“We can’t give people what we don’t have.”

But for the better half of my life, I fell victim to a never-ending shame spiral.

I’d show up to work every morning with a healthy glow of imposter syndrome. I’d obsess over earning gold stars — as if the compliments and kudos proved that I was a good person.

I wanted to be your favorite teammate, highest performer and best buddy, even if it meant I’d overcommit and take on too much. I wouldn’t ask for help. I’d miss a deadline or make a mistake. I’d feel like a failure. I’d burn out. I’d disengage.

All because I didn’t feel like I was enough.

This notion of scarcity runs rampant in our culture — we don’t have enough time, money, energy and so on. We’re not smart enough, attractive enough, creative enough.

When we feel like this, we live in fear that everything’s about to come crashing down around us. We live a smaller life with fewer possibilities. We avoid basic human experiences like rejection and disappointment.

The ironic truth is that we need to get uncomfortable if we want to be our best selves. We need to take risks, pitch bold ideas, and talk vulnerably about our strengths and weaknesses.

These honest, vulnerable conversations are disruptive. They make our skin crawl. They’re messy and scary and flawed.

They’re where transformation happens.

When we wrap our whole hearts around the unpredictability of being a human, we can actually grow. It doesn’t happen overnight. It takes a million tiny leaps of bravery and self-acceptance to get to a place where discomfort is the norm.

The first step starts with a bold, intentional declaration. Why? Because we each need a value-driven manifesto “to remind you in one powerful statement of who you really are and how you want to make a difference.”

So here it is — my personal manifesto for daring greatly:

Be kind, be curious.Be joyful, be disappointed.Be here, be now.Be human.

Make the world better.Love others, unconditionally.But not at the expense of your own goodness.

Your turn: How do you want to show up? What’s your manifesto for leading a vulnerable, fulfilling life?